2012 R E P O R T neighbourhoods mapping social cohesion the scanlon foundation surveys neighbourhoods report: areas of immigrant concentration 2012 Professor Andrew Markus
Copies of this report can be accessed and downloaded at www.arts.monash.edu.au/mapping-population ISBN: 978-0-9874195-1-4 Published in 2012 This work is copyright. Apart for any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of it may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the publisher. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction rights should be directed to the publisher: ACJC, Faculty of Arts Monash University Building H, Level 8, Caulfield campus 900 Dandenong Road Caulfield East Victoria 3145 stralia
CONTENTS Executive summary... 1 Project objectives... 4 Scope and methodology... 5 Weighting of survey results... 6 The demographic context... 6 What is social cohesion?... 12 Scanlon-Monash Index (SMI) of Social Cohesion: Neighbourhoods... 13 Belonging... 15 Trust... 17 Sense of safety... 18 Experience of discrimination... 18 Participation... 20 Ethnic diversity and social cohesion... 21 Neighbourhoods... 23 Immigration... 26 Patterns of agreement... 27 Patterns of disagreement... 30 Acknowledgements... 33 Credits... 33
Executive summary Social cohesion operates not in the abstract, the realm of the nation, but at the community level, where people of different backgrounds and cultures make their lives. This understanding informed the decision to undertake the 2007, 2009 and 2012 Scanlon Foundation surveys in areas of high immigrant concentration, where, historical evidence indicates, the potential for social tension is higher. The data gathered by the five Scanlon Foundation national surveys, conducted between 2007-2012, provide the context for interpreting developments in neighbourhoods. Most surveys in stralia aim to collect data at the national and state levels; there are also specialised studies, less frequently undertaken, which explore attitudes within localities or subgroups of the population. Such national and local research typically operates with a limited focus, either the whole population or a segment of the population. The Scanlon Foundation surveys are distinctive in seeking to explore attitudes in multiple dimensions: at the national level, within selected localities, within subgroups, and with comparative reference across these dimensions. These objectives are achieved by a survey design which provides a sample size sufficient to provide understanding of attitudes across and within segments of the population, with particular attention to the impact of immigration. The 2012 Scanlon Foundation Neighbourhoods was administered in suburbs selected for their cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity, within the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Fairfield and Bankstown in Sydney and Hume and Greater Dandenong in Melbourne, the same LGAs surveyed in 2009. Two of these LGAs have a relatively high proportion of residents born in Asia, the other two have a relatively high proportion born in the Middle East. The suburbs surveyed are not representative of Sydney or Melbourne: rather, they are representative of approximately 20% of the suburbs of the two cities, which have the highest immigrant concentrations and which are also areas of relatively high economic disadvantage. 1 Of survey respondents, 67% resided in the most disadvantaged postcodes in stralia, as classified by the stralian Bureau of Statistics Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage. A minimum of 500 interviews was undertaken in each LGA (2,006 interviews in total) with these interviews split between 300 overseas-born and 200 stralianborn respondents, of whom approximately 100 were third-generation stralian. The context of diversity On the basis of the 2011 census, the stralian Bureau of Statistics estimates that 26% of the stralian population is overseas-born. This is the highest proportion within OECD countries with populations in excess of ten million. The overseas-born are not evenly spread across stralia, with the highest proportion resident in capital cities, and within specific regions of the capital cities. For decades many urban regions have been characterised by ethnic and linguistic diversity and that diversity is continuing to increase. In Springvale, located in the Dandenong LGA, only 30% of the population is born in stralia and 88% of the population have both parents born overseas. The proportions are similar in Cabramatta, located in Fairfield, with 36% of the population born in stralia and 89% with one or both parents born overseas. Relatively few of the immigrants in these areas surveyed are of English speaking background. In 2011, English was the only language spoken in 17% of homes in the suburb of Cabramatta, 21% in Springvale, 25% in Greenacre and 32% in Broadmeadows. Indicative of the increasing ethnic diversity in regions of immigrant settlement, the proportion who speaks a language other than English in the home increased between 2006-2011 from 59% to 64.5% in Dandenong and from 53.7% to 58% in Bankstown. Over this period, the combined Buddhist population of the four LGAs increased from 72,990 to 82,330 and the Muslim population from 63,410 to 85,040. Given this diversity, the report devotes particular attention to the outlook and reported experiences of immigrants of non-english speaking background (), compared with first, second and third generation stralian-born. The Scanlon-Monash Index An overview of the neighbourhood survey findings is provided by the Scanlon-Monash Index of Social Cohesion (SMI). From the index base of 100 in 2007, the national SMI has ranged from a high of 101.2 to a low of 92.6, with total variance over five surveys within 10 points. The neighbourhoods SMI is much lower, a composite score of 82.9, 11.5 points below the 2012 national SMI. Within the core domains of social cohesion, the score is above the national SMI in only one domain, social justice and equity, and markedly below the national level in the domains of acceptance/ rejection and participation. In addition, marked variance is evident when third-generation stralian and respondents are compared. Further analysis of the pattern of response indicates four key findings. 1 A representative overview of stralian attitudes, with discussion of divergence within different geographic areas, is provided in the companion publication, Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: National Report. Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report 1
Sense of belonging, opportunity and social justice In response to the question to what extent do you have a sense of belonging in stralia, 92%-93% amongst the stralian-born and 86% amongst respondents indicated to a great extent or moderate extent. There was a similar pattern of response when the importance of maintaining the stralian way of life was considered. Over 90% agreed that it was important, with the highest level of agreement amongst third-generation stralians. In response to the proposition that stralia is a land of economic opportunity where in the long run, hard work brings a better life, agreement was in the range 76%-81%, with the highest level amongst respondents. This finding is reflected in the SMI, which found a very high positive score amongst respondents in the domain of social justice and equity. These patterns of response are similar to the findings of the national survey. There is consistent evidence that the stralian way of life elicits a strong level of identification amongst both native born and immigrant, and immigrants, presumably reflecting on their previous conditions of life, provide strong endorsement of stralia as a land of economic opportunity and social justice. Neighbourhoods There is, however, also a consistent finding of lower levels of social cohesion in regions of high immigrant concentration, indicated by survey findings on trust, sense of safety, experience of discrimination, political participation and involvement in voluntary work. The survey in areas of high immigrant concentration found markedly lower levels of trust. In response to the question, generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted, or you can t be too careful in dealing with people, 52% of respondents in the national survey indicated that most people can be trusted, 46% that you can t be too careful. In marked contrast, in the local survey just 34% of stralian-born and 30% of respondents agreed that most people can be trusted, close to 65% disagreed. When asked to indicate their sense of safety when walking alone at night in their local area, in the national survey 28% of stralian-born respondents indicated that they felt unsafe, in the local survey a much higher 50%. The local survey found markedly higher reported experience of discrimination on the basis of skin colour, ethnic origin or religion. The reported level was 12% for stralian-born and 11% for respondents in the national survey, 23% for both groups in the neighbourhoods survey. When asked to indicate frequency of involvement in voluntary work, 34% of stralian-born and 30% of respondents indicated voluntary work at least once a month in the national survey, 24% stralianborn and 17% in the neighbourhoods survey. Comparison of economically disadvantaged areas with low and high levels of ethnic diversity (areas with less than 20% overseas-born compared with areas greater than 50% overseas-born) produced a consistent finding of lower levels of trust, lower community involvement and higher levels of negativity in the areas of immigrant concentration. This finding indicates that the lower levels cannot be simply the consequence of economic disadvantage. Non-English speaking background respondents A relatively high proportion of respondents in areas of high immigrant concentration indicate a positive response when considering the level of immigration, the contribution of immigrants, the impact of immigration in the local area and ability of people of different backgrounds to get on with each other. Thus when asked if living in your local area is becoming better or worse, or is it unchanged?, 19% of stralianborn respondents in the neighbourhoods survey indicated that it was better, 27% that it was worse; in contrast, 36% of respondents considered that it was better, 15% that it was worse. Amongst respondents to the neighbourhoods survey, 77% agreed that my local area is a place where people from different national or ethnic backgrounds get on well together, 66% agreed that people in my local area are willing to help their neighbours and 45% agreed that the impact of immigration on daily life in the local area has been positive (17% disagreed). Just 36% considered that the immigration intake was too high and 63% agreed that accepting immigrants from many different countries makes stralia stronger. The highest levels of concern amongst respondents related to sense of safety: 54% indicated that they were worried about becoming a victim of crime and 43% that they felt unsafe walking alone at night. 2 Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report
Third-generation stralian respondents Third-generation stralian respondents in areas of high immigrant concentration indicate a strong sense of belonging and agreement that it is important to maintain the stralian way of life. A relatively high proportion agrees that they are satisfied with their lives and financial circumstances. There is substantial agreement in response to a range of questions. Thus 67% agreed that my local area is a place where people from different national or ethnic backgrounds get on well together, 57% agreed that people in my local area are willing to help their neighbours, and 49% agreed that accepting immigrants from many different countries makes stralia stronger. But only 34% agreed that the impact of immigration on daily life in the local area has been positive and 54% considered that the intake of immigrants was too high. Analysis of patterns of disagreement identifies a consistent negative outlook amongst a minority. Thus 9% of third-generation stralian respondents in the national survey disagreed with the proposition that people were willing to help their neighbours, 36% at the local level; 10% at the national level indicated that the impact of immigration in the local area was negative, 33% at the local level; 10% at the national level disagreed with the proposition that people of different national or ethnic backgrounds got on well together, 27% at the local level. In conclusion, aggregated national findings indicate that stralia is a socially cohesive and welcoming country, but the survey in areas of high immigrant concentration, where ethnic diversity is most evident, presents a complex and far from uniform picture: it is characterised by many positive findings, but also lower levels of trust and sense of safety, lower levels of political participation and involvement in voluntary work, and heightened experience of discrimination. There is clear evidence of disaffection and negative valuation of the impact of immigration amongst a minority of third-generation stralians. The survey identifies a constituency potentially receptive to advocacy of discriminatory immigration policies, which if translated into action would present a threat to social cohesion in areas of high immigrant concentration. The fact that these areas are also classified at the most economically disadvantaged raised the perennial question: are the lower levels of social cohesion a consequence of poverty or ethnic diversity? The comparison of the national and neighbourhoods surveys yields findings which point to the negative impact on social cohesion of cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity in areas of high immigrant concentration. The relatively high proportion indicating dissatisfaction with their neighbourhoods, an increase of close to 20 percentage points when the national and local surveys are compared, is a finding of significance, not least for government. The same level of differentiation is not indicated when respondents are compared at the national and local levels. It is important, however, to place this finding in context. The 2009 Scanlon Foundation surveys provide the basis for benchmarking the 2012 data. This comparison indicates only marginal change amongst third-generation stralians at the local level between the 2009 and 2012 surveys. Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report 3
Project objectives Since it was established in June 2001, the Scanlon Foundation has pursued a mission to support the advance of stralia as a welcoming, prosperous and cohesive nation. The Foundation s social cohesion research program guides its stralia-wide grant-based investment in programs designed to promote diversity and social cohesion. Historically immigration has been central to stralia s economic and social development, a contribution that is unlikely to diminish in the foreseeable future. One simple but critical question arising from this expectation is whether, over the next five decades, stralia can sustain the migration and social cohesion success story of the past five decades. In order to address this question, the Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements and the stralian Multicultural Foundation, with Scanlon Foundation funding, commissioned Professor Andrew Markus from Monash University to design and undertake a benchmark measure of social cohesion, with the aim of repeating the study every two years. The benchmark survey was undertaken in June July 2007 by the Melbourne-based research company The Social Research Centre and repeated in 2009. In 2010, however, following a review of previous findings, it was decided to change the frequency of surveys from a two-year cycle to annual national surveys, supplemented by local surveys every third year. This change has provided the opportunity for annual tracking of stralian public opinion at a time of heightened public discussion across a range of issues related to immigration and social cohesion and resulted in the 2011 and 2012 national surveys and the 2012 local survey, whose findings are presented in this report. The data gathered by the national survey has provided the means for interpreting developments at the community level, through measurement of the extent of commonality and divergence across a range of indicators. It is important to note that rather than look at social cohesion in the abstract, the 2007 benchmark survey was designed to examine cohesion within the context of the social impact of a prolonged period of sustained and significant immigration. Towards this end, the focus was to establish a national measure of social cohesion and to underpin it with a series of comparative surveys undertaken in areas of high immigrant concentration where, it is hypothesised, the potential for social tension is higher. Social cohesion operates not in the abstract, the realm of the nation, but at the community level, where people of different backgrounds and cultures make their lives. Most survey work undertaken in stralia aims to collect data at the national and state level; there are also specialised studies, which explore attitudes within localities or sub groups. The Scanlon Foundation surveys are distinctive in seeking to explore attitudes in multiple dimensions: at the national level, within selected localities, and within sub groups, and with comparative reference across these dimensions. These objectives are achieved by a survey design which provides a sample size and sub quotas sufficient to provide understanding of attitudes across and within segments of the population, with particular attention to the impact of immigration. The Foundation continues to provide significant funding towards on-going, independent, primary research which can continue the development of our knowledge about social cohesion. This made possible a replication of the 2007 survey in 2009. In addition to the landmark Mapping Social Cohesion surveys, the Foundation continues to create awareness and stimulate knowledge-based discussion about stralia's population growth and the relationship between immigration and social cohesion. To further this end, the Foundation has supported the establishment and on-going development of the Mapping stralia s Population internet site, based at Monash University and under the direction of Professor Markus and Mr Bruce Smith. This site seeks to augment informed public discussion of immigration and population issues by making available the findings of the Scanlon Foundation surveys. To provide a context, it also provides an inventory of other relevant surveying undertaken in stralia and statistical data on immigration and population sourced from government publications. 2 The Foundation continues to utilise the results of this research to initiate on-the-ground action programs designed to address factors which affect social cohesion in areas where the potential for tension is most evident. Details of projects, including Supporting Parents Developing Children (City of Hume), Growing Communities Together (City of Bankstown) and The Huddle North Melbourne Community Centre are available on the Scanlon Foundation internet site. 3 2 The Mapping stralia s Population website is at http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mapping-population/ 3 See http://www.scanlonfoundation.org.au/majorcommunitydevelopment.html 4 Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report
Scope and methodology The 2012 Social Cohesion Neighbourhood survey was administered in suburbs selected within the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Fairfield and Bankstown in New South Wales and Hume and Greater Dandenong in Victoria. Two of these LGAs have a relatively high proportion of residents born in Asia, two have relatively high proportion born in the Middle East. Within the LGAs, suburbs with high proportions of overseas-born residents were selected as the focus of interviewing. Respondents by suburb are indicated in Table 1. Quotas were implemented for country of birth (stralian-born and overseas-born), with additional monitoring within the stralian-born quota so that approximately 50% of interviews undertaken in this category were with third-generation stralians. A minimum of 500 interviews were undertaken in each LGA target area (2,006 interviews in total) with these interviews split between approximately 300 overseasborn and 200 stralian-born respondents (of whom about 100 were third-generation stralians) in each location. This approach ensured that the final sample composition provided a sufficiently large sample of overseas-born, stralian-born and third-generation stralian to support analysis within each of these subgroups, although the sample design did not provide targets for specific national groups. This resulted in a degree of over-representation of some groups and under-representation of others, and the analysis in this report necessarily focuses on aggregated categories. The categories used in this report are defined as: Third-generation stralian (Gen3, n=406): respondent born in stralia, both parents born in stralia. The category includes third plus generation stralian (i.e. fourth, fifth, and higher generation). 4 Second-generation stralian (Gen2, n=293): respondent born in stralia, both parents born overseas. stralian-born (, n=789): all respondents born in stralia, no reference to birthplace of parents. This category aggregates third and second generation, as defined, plus those with one parent born in stralia. Non-English speaking background (): respondent born overseas in a non-english speaking country. The main countries of birth of respondents were Vietnam (304), Lebanon (80), India (63), Italy (62), Greece (50), Sri Lanka (48), Turkey (48), Iraq (46). Respondents from English-speaking countries (n=118), and respondents born in stralia with one parent born in stralia (n=90) did not reach a level of statistical significance in the local survey and are not included as categories of analysis. The latter group is included in the aggregated stralian-born category. Table 1: postcode Number of respondents by suburb and LGA Suburb Postcode Fairfield Bankstown Hume Greater Dandenong Cabramatta, Canley Vale Greenacre, Mt Lewis Frequency/ number of respondents 2166 490 2190 112 Punchbowl 2196 86 Yagoona 2199 80 Bankstown 2200 222 Broadmeadows, Dallas 3047 147 Coolaroo, Meadow 3048 144 Heights Roxburgh Park 3064 170 Springvale 3171 99 Springvale South 3172 87 Keysborough 3173 126 Noble Park 3174 187 Other (within the four LGAs) 56 Total 2,006 The 2012 local survey was completed by 789 stralian-born respondents, 565 respondents from the Asian region, 317 from Europe and 209 from the Middle East. The number of respondents within the main categories employed in this report is indicated in Table 2. Table 2: Respondents by main category employed in this report National 1,120 368 1,488 171 Local 406 293 789 1,085 4 For discussion of this definition, see 4 ABS, Cultural Diversity in stralia, cat. No. 2071.0. Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report 5
Of the interviews, 387 or 19.3% were mainly completed in a language other than English: 217 in Vietnamese, 49 in Greek, 38 in Arabic (including 11 in Lebanese), 35 in Chinese (23 Cantonese, 12 Mandarin), 31 in Italian and 17 in Turkish. The local questionnaire was administered from 20 June to 31 July 2012 and is identical to the questionnaire used in the national survey. It comprised 68 questions (48 substantive and 20 demographic) and took on average 18 minutes to complete. The questionnaire is included as an appendix to the Methodological Report and may be accessed on the Mapping stralia s Population internet site. 5 Weighting of survey results data is weighted to bring the achieved respondent profile into line with stralian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) demographic indicators. A rim weighting procedure developed by the Social Research Centre makes possible weighting of data for four variables: age, gender, educational attainment and country of birth, and, where necessary, to also adjust for disproportionate aspects of the sample design (i.e. disproportionate geographic distribution). Where possible, target proportions were taken from 2011 stralian Bureau of Statistics Census counts this applied to the population estimates of age by gender by geographic location and country of birth. The demographic context The stralian Bureau of Statistics estimate, based on the 2011 census, is that 26% of the population was born overseas. 6 The highest proportion of the overseas-born resides in capital cities, comprising an estimated 36% of the population of Sydney and 33% of Melbourne. Within the capitals, the proportion of overseas-born is unevenly spread. The highest concentrations in Sydney are in the west, in Melbourne in the west and southeast. The LGAs surveyed (Fairfield, Bankstown, Dandenong and Hume) are within these areas. 7 Sydney has a higher proportion of overseas-born living in suburbs where more than 50% of the population is overseas-born: 11.6%, compared to 6.1% in Melbourne. With regard to suburbs in which more than 40% of the population is overseas-born, the proportion is 32.7% in Sydney, 21.4% in Melbourne. These percentages, however, represent an undercount, as more than 5% of the population in the two cities did not indicate country of birth in the census. Figure 1: Proportion born overseas by suburb (SA2), Sydney and Melbourne, 2011 35% 30% 25% 30% 30% 31% Sydney Melbourne 20% 21% 22% 15% 15% 15% 18% 10% 5% 0% 8% 3% 2% 4% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 20-29% 10-19% Source: ABS, 2011 census data generated by TableBuilder 5 See http://arts.monash.edu.au/mapping-population/scanlon-foundation-surveys.php 6 ABS, Cultural Diversity in stralia 7 See Mapping stralia s Population, http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mapping-population/population-maps.php; see also Figures 3 and 4, below 6 Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report
In broad terms, nearly all the survey respondents live in the 20% of suburbs with the highest concentration of overseas-born in the two cities, with nearly half the respondents in the suburbs of greatest concentration. A small minority of the overseas-born in the suburbs surveyed are of English speaking background. In stralia, of the overseas-born 20% are from the United Kingdom and 9% from New Zealand, a total of 29%. Within the four LGAs, the combined proportion of the overseas-born from the UK and New Zealand ranges from 4% in Fairfield, 7% in Dandenong and Bankstown, to 11% in Hume. In numerical terms, the combined average is under 5,000 in each of the four LGAs. This compares with much larger numbers of overseasborn from Asia and the Middle East. In the Dandenong LGA there are four national groups of more than 5,000 people each of non-english speaking background (born in Vietnam, Cambodia, India and Sri Lanka), three in Fairfield (Vietnam, Cambodia and Iraq), three in Bankstown (Vietnam, China and Lebanon) and two in Hume (Turkey, Iraq). Of the overseas-born, 27% in Dandenong are recent arrivals, having arrived between 2006 and 2011; 19% in Hume, 13% in Fairfield, and 12% in Bankstown. Birthplace statistics do not, however, capture the full extent of cultural and linguistic diversity in these regions. In six of the seven postcode areas in which surveys were conducted, over 70% of the population indicated that both of their parents were born overseas, with 89% in Cabramatta and 88% in Springvale being the highest. (See Table 3) In five of the seven postcodes, less than 30% indicated that English is the only language spoken in the home. These are also areas of considerable religious diversity. In stralia, the proportion indicating a non-christian faith increased from 4.9% of the population in 2001 to 7.2% in 2011. The main non-christian religions in 2011 were Buddhism (2.5% of the population), Islam (2.2%) and Hinduism (1.3%). Within the areas surveyed, 44% in Cabramatta and Canley Vale (in the Fairfield LGA) and 27% in Springvale (Dandenong) indicated that they were of the Buddhist faith. Close to 40% of the population of Coolaroo, Meadow Heights, Greenacre, Chullora and Mt. Lewis (located in the Hume and Bankstown LGAs) indicated that they were of the Islamic faith. Table 3: Selected demographic characteristics of postcode areas surveyed, 2011 Postcode 3174 3171 3048 3047 2200 2190 2166 Suburb(s) Noble Park Springvale Coolaroo Meadow Heights Broadmeadows Dallas Jacana Bankstown Greenacre Chullora Mt Lewis Cabramatta Canley Vale Population 35,768 19,771 18,107 19,001 40,612 24,709 49,724 Median Individual weekly income Both parent overseas-born English only spoken at home $412 $352 $319 $324 $383 $362 $335 76% 88% 74% 69% 81% 74% 89% 38% 21% 28% 32% 20% 25% 17% Buddhist faith 15% 27% 3% 2% 11% 3% 44% Islamic faith 8% 5% 39% 33% 25% 38% 2% Source: ABS 2011 Census Basic Community Profiles Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report 7
There are indicators that in these areas ethnic and linguistic diversity is continuing to increase. The proportion who speaks a language other than English in the home increased from 69% to 73% between 2001 and 2011 in Fairfield, from 55% to 65% in Dandenong. 8 Table 4: 'Does the person speak a language other than English at home? Response Yes (stated responses only, excludes not stated and overseas visitors), 2011 LGA 2001 2006 2011 Fairfield 69.4% 71.0% 72.9% Bankstown 48.9% 53.7% 58.0% Hume 36.2% 38.3% 43.1% Dandenong 55.2% 59.0% 64.5% Source: ABS 2011 Census Community Profiles, Time Series Between 2001 and 2011, the Buddhist population of Fairfield increased from 38,520 to 43,100 in 2011; over this period the Muslim population of Bankstown increased from 19,540 in 2001 to 34,830. Table 5: Main non-christian religious affiliation by LGA, 2001-2011 Religion / LGA Buddhism 2001 2006 2011 Increase 2001-2011 Fairfield 38,520 39,823 43,096 4,576 Bankstown 9,910 11,582 13,325 3,415 Hume 2,448 2,874 3,830 1,382 Dandenong 16,678 18,707 22,076 5,398 Islam Total 67,556 72,986 82,327 Fairfield 6,829 7,869 9,922 3,093 Bankstown 19,538 25,982 34,829 15,291 Hume 15,739 19,685 26,686 10,947 Dandenong 8,667 9,870 13,600 4,933 Hinduism Total 50,773 63,406 85,037 Fairfield 1,064 1,166 1,340 276 Bankstown 1,192 1,334 1,666 474 Hume 636 931 2,426 1,790 Dandenong 1,437 2,533 5,385 3,948 Total 4,329 5,964 10,817 Source: ABS 2011 Census Community Profiles, Time Series 8 For mapping of linguistic diversity, see Figures 5 and 6. For additional maps, see the internet site, Mapping stralia s Population. http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mapping-population/population-maps.php 8 Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report
Figure 2: Main non-christian religious affiliation by LGA, 2001-2011 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 Hinduism Islam Buddhism 10,000 0 2001 2006 2011 2001 2006 2011 Fairfield Greater Dandenong 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 Hinduism Islam Buddhism 10,000 0 2001 2006 2011 2001 2006 2011 Bankstown Hume The areas surveyed are also areas of relatively low income. The median individual weekly income in 2011 of the Greater Sydney region was $619, in Greater Melbourne, $591. The Cabramatta median individual income was $335 in 2011 (54% of the Sydney average), Bankstown $383 (62%), Springvale $352 (60% of the Melbourne average) and Broadmeadows $324 (55%). Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) have been developed by the stralian Bureau of Statistics. One of the indexes, the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage, incorporates indicators of disadvantage such as low income, low educational attainment, unemployment, and dwellings without motor vehicles. The index ranks postcodes in deciles, from rank 1 for the most disadvantaged to rank 10 for the least disadvantaged. Of the respondents to the local area surveys, 1,340 (67%) resided in the most disadvantaged postcodes and an additional 278 (14%) in the second most disadvantaged, a total of 81%. Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report 9
Figure 3: Overseas-born, Fairfield, 2011 PEOPLE BORN OVERSEAS, FAIRFIELD NSW 2011 Counting: Percentage of Total Population, Place of Usual Residence in SA2 Statistical Areas 60-80% 40-60% 20-40% Figure 4: Overseas-born, Tullamarine Broadmeadows, 2011 PEOPLE BORN OVERSEAS, TULLAMARINE-BROADMEADOWS VIC 2011 Counting: Percentage of Total Population, Place of Usual Residence in SA2 Statistical Areas 40-60% 20-40% 0-20% 10 Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report
Figure 5: Language spoken in the home, English Only Bankstown, 2011 SPEAKS ENGLISH ONLY, BANKSTOWN NSW 2011 Counting: Percentage of Total Population, Place of Usual Residence in SA1 Statistical Areas 80-100% 60-80% 40-60% 20-40% 0-20% Figure 6: Language spoken in the home, English Only Springvale, 2011 SPEAKS ENGLISH ONLY, SPRINGVALE VIC 2011 Counting: Percentage of Total Population, Place of Usual Residence in SA1 Statistical Areas 80-100% 60-80% 40-60% 20-40% 0-20% Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report 11
What is social cohesion? As a concept, social cohesion has a long tradition in academic enquiry. It is of fundamental importance when discussing the role of consensus and conflict in society. From the mid-1990s, interest in the dynamics of social cohesion grew amid concerns prompted by the impact of globalisation, economic change and fears fuelled by the war on terror. There is, however, no agreed definition of social cohesion. Most current definitions dwell on intangibles, such as sense of belonging, attachment to the group, willingness to participate and to share outcomes. They do, however, include three common elements: Shared vision: Most researchers maintain that social cohesion requires universal values, mutual respect and common aspirations or identity shared by their members. The Scanlon Foundation surveys adopt an eclectic, wide-ranging approach, influenced by the work of social scientists Jane Jenson and Paul Bernard, to incorporate five domains: Belonging: Shared values, identification with stralia, trust. Social justice and equity: Evaluation of national policies. Participation: Voluntary work, political and cooperative involvement. Acceptance and rejection, legitimacy: Experience of discrimination, attitudes towards minorities and newcomers. Worth: Life satisfaction and happiness, future expectations. A property of a group or community: Social cohesion describes a well-functioning core group or community in which there are shared goals and responsibilities and a readiness to co-operate with the other members. A process: Social cohesion is generally viewed not simply as an outcome, but as a continuous and seemingly never-ending process of achieving social harmony. Differences in definition concern the factors that enhance (and erode) the process of communal harmony, and the relative weight attached to the operation of specific factors. The key factors are: Economic: Levels of unemployment and poverty, income distribution, population mobility, health, life satisfaction and sense of security, and government responsiveness to issues of poverty and disadvantage. Political: Levels of political participation and social involvement, including the extent of voluntarism, the development of social capital, understood in terms of networks, norms and social trust that facilitate coordination and co-operation for mutual benefit. Socio-cultural: Levels of consensus and divergence (homogeneity and heterogeneity) on issues of local and national significance. 12 Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report
Scanlon-Monash Index (SMI) of Social Cohesion: Neighbourhoods A nominal index of social cohesion has been developed using the findings of the 2007 Scanlon Foundation national survey to provide baseline data. The following questions, validated by factor analysis, were employed to construct the index for the five domains of social cohesion: Belonging: Indication of pride in the stralian way of life and culture; sense of belonging; importance of maintaining stralian way of life and culture. Worth: Satisfaction with present financial situation and indication of happiness over the last year. Social justice and equity: Views on the adequacy of financial support for people on low incomes; the gap between high and low incomes; stralia as a land of economic opportunity; trust in the stralian government. Participation (political): Voted in an election; signed a petition; contacted a Member of Parliament; participated in a boycott; attended a protest. Acceptance and rejection, legitimacy: The scale measures rejection, indicated by negative view of immigration from many different countries; reported experience of discrimination in the last 12 months; disagreement with government support to ethnic minorities for maintenance of customs and traditions; feeling that life in three or four years will be worse. After trialling several models, a procedure was adopted which draws attention to minor shifts in opinion and reported experience, rather than one which compresses or diminishes the impact of change by, for example, calculating the mean score for a set of responses. 9 The purpose of the index is to heighten awareness of shifts in opinion which may call for closer attention and analysis. The five national surveys conducted between 2007 and 2012 found variation in the composite score in the range 92.6 101.2; the sharpest movement was in 2010, when the composite score fell by 8.6 points. Between 2010 and 2012 the composite score stabilised and was at 94.4 in 2012. As expected, there is greater volatility within individual domains. This has been particularly evident within the domains of social justice and equity and acceptance and rejection, with a peak over the five national surveys of 112.4 in the former and a low of 75.3 in the latter. The SMI for the neighbourhoods surveyed produces a significantly lower composite score of 82.9, 11.5 points below the national SMI. Within the individual domains, the score is above the national SMI in only one domain, social justice and equity, which is 103.2, 8.1 points above the national index. Greatest variance between the national and local index is in the domains of acceptance and rejection (63.6, 78.6, a difference of 15 points) and participation (74.7, 106.6, 28.5 points). Comparing the LGAs, the variance for three LGAs is within 3.5 points (82.0-85.5), with a lower result of 79.6 points in Hume. To understand the factors producing the lower SMI in the neighbourhoods survey, attention was given to subgroups of third generation stralian and non- English speaking background respondents, on the basis of findings of significant variation evident in the results of the local surveys. respondents comprise 54% of the local sample, third generation stralians, 20%. The SMI for these two groups shows only minor variance in the composite score, but marked variation (greater than 10 points) across four of the five domains of social cohesion. For third-generation stralians, there is a markedly low score of 54 within the domain of acceptance and rejection. As discussed in the following sections, this reflects relatively high reported experience of discrimination and relatively high indication that life in three or four years will be worse; in addition, a relatively high proportion indicate negative view of a diverse immigration intake and of government funding to ethnic minorities to maintain cultures and traditions. In contrast with this low score, the score for sense of belonging at 101.2 is 6.2 points above the national level, indicating a heightened sense of belonging and identification with the stralian way of life. For respondents, there are markedly low scores within the domains of participation and acceptance and rejection (66). Participation measures a range of political involvements; a question on involvement in voluntary work, not included in the index, also points to a significantly low level. 9 The nominal index scores the level of agreement (or disagreement in the index of rejection). The highest level of response (for example, strongly agree ) is scored twice the value of the second level ( agree ). Responses within four of the five indexes are equalised; within the index of participation, activities requiring greater initiative (contacting a Member of Parliament, participating in a boycott, attending a protest) are accorded double the weight of the more passive activities of voting (compulsory in stralia) and signing a petition. See Andrew Markus and Jessica Arnup, Mapping Social Cohesion 2009: The Scanlon Foundations s Full Report (2010), section 12 Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report 13
The low score within the domain of acceptance and rejection points to the relatively high proportion reporting experience of discrimination and heightened feeling that life in three or four years will be worse, a finding even more evident in the responses of thirdgeneration stralians. The analysis of the SMI result draws attention to the significant division in the outlook and reported experience of third-generation stralian and non- English speaking respondents. Table 6: The Scanlon-Monash Index (SMI) of Social Cohesion, 2012 (i) National and local surveys National 2012 Local 2012 Difference (percentage points) 3gen Sense of belonging 95.1 88.1 7.0 101.2 82.7 Sense of worth 96.5 85.1 11.4 87.0 82.0 Social justice and equity 95.1 103.2 +8.1 83.0 119.5 Participation 106.6 74.7 31.9 90.5 65.6 Acceptance (rejection) 78.6 63.6 15.0 53.9 66.2 Average 94.4 82.9 11.5 83.1 83.2 (ii) Average score by LGA Hume Bankstown Dandenong Fairfield Average Average 79.6 83.9 85.5 82.0 82.9 14 Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report
Belonging This discussion focuses on four groups: (a) all stralian-born and subgroups of the stralian-born: (b) second-generation stralian, (c) third-generation stralian; and (d) respondents of non-english speaking background. 10 There are two key objectives, to consider patterns of response in the local surveys for each of the groups, and to contextualise those responses by comparing responses by members of the same groups in the national survey. Questions relating to sense of belonging elicit high levels of positive response across all groups, although a higher proportion of third-generation stralians indicate agreement at the strongest level. In response to the question to what extent do you have a sense of belonging in stralia, agreement was in the range 92%-93% amongst the stralian-born, 86% amongst respondents. The local level responses for sense of belonging were within three percentage points of the national, except for respondents, with a difference of 8 percentage points. Analysis by region of birth indicated 91% agreement amongst those born in the Middle East and 84% amongst those born in Asia. Analysis of responses within the four LGAs also yielded little variation, with agreement in the range 88%-90%. Table 7: To what extent do you have a sense of belonging in stralia? Response: great extent and moderate extent National 96.3% 95.8% 95.0% 94.2% Local 92.9% 92.5% 91.9% 86.2% Analysis by religious identification found the lowest level of agreement amongst Buddhists (86%) and those who described themselves as Christian (88%). Identification to a great extent was indicated by 80% of Anglicans, 64% Roman Catholics, 51% Muslims and 41% Buddhists. Table 8: To what extent do you have a sense of belonging in stralia?, by stated religious identification. Response: great extent and moderate extent Response Roman Catholic Church of England Christian Islam Buddhist No religion Great 64.1% 79.7% 69.2% 50.9% 40.8% 57.1% Moderate 27.5% 12.5% 19.2% 39.2% 44.7% 34.0% Total 91.6% 92.2% 88.4% 90.1% 85.5% 91.1% Figure 7: To what extent do you have a sense of belonging in stralia?, by stated religious identification. Response: great extent and moderate extent 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 28% 13% 19% 39% 45% 34% 50% Moderate 40% 30% 20% 64% 80% 69% 51% 41% 57% Great 10% 0% Roman Catholic Church of England Christian Islam Buddhist No religion 10 For definition of these terms, see page 5, above Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report 15
stralian way of life: There was a similar pattern of response when the importance of maintaining the stralian way of life was considered. Agreement was in the range 91%-96%, with the highest level among third-generation stralians. A notable finding for the stralian-born groups was the higher levels of agreement at the local level. Table 9: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? In the modern world, maintaining the stralian way of life and culture is important. Response: strongly agree and agree Table 10: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? In the modern world, maintaining the stralian way of life and culture is important. (i) Local survey Response Strongly agree 69.2% 48.2% 57.7% 43.3% Agree 27.1% 42.4% 35.7% 47.7% Total 96.3% 90.6% 93.3% 90.9% National 91.4% 90.3% 90.9% 92.7% Local 96.3% 90.6% 93.3% 90.9% When responses were considered by faith groups, the highest proportion in agreement were amongst Anglicans (98%), the lowest (at 82%) amongst Muslims. 70% of Anglican respondents indicated agreement at the higher level ( strongly agree ), compared to 39% Muslims and 37% Buddhists. Variation within the four LGAs was in the range 90%- 93%. (ii) Stated religious identification Response Roman Catholic Church of England Christian Islam Buddhist No religion Strongly agree 57.1% 73.4% 47.8% 38.7% 37.2% 50.7% Agree 37.0% 24.2% 48.1% 43.7% 54.6% 40.4% Total 94.1% 97.6% 95.9% 82.4% 91.8% 91.1% Financial reward: With regard to questions concerning financial circumstances, the national and local surveys indicated similar levels of agreement; thus close to 80% agreed with the proposition that in stralia hard work brings a better life. Table 11: stralia is a land of economic opportunity where in the long run, hard work brings a better life. Response: strongly agree and agree National 76.3% 88.0% 78.1% 84.9% The level of satisfaction with financial circumstance in the local areas was below the national in the range 67%-71%, compared to responses in the range 68%- 74% at the national, with the largest variation (7 percentage points) amongst the third-generation stralian. The lower level of satisfaction indicated in the local areas was to be expected, given that the local surveys were conducted in economically disadvantaged regions. Table 12: How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your present financial situation? Response: very satisfied and satisfied Local 80.8% 76.2% 77.9% 81.4% National 74.1% 73.1% 73.2% 67.9% Local 67.4% 70.9% 67.5% 67.0% 16 Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report
Trust The national and local surveys indicate significant difference in levels of trust. In response to the question Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted, or you can t be too careful in dealing with people, 52% of respondents in the 2012 national survey indicated that most people can be trusted, 46% that you can t be too careful. In marked contrast, those indicating that people can be trusted were in the range 30%-39% in the local survey. Table 13: Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted, or you can t be too careful in dealing with people? Local survey Response Can be trusted 38.5% 32.0% 34.3% 29.7% Can t be too careful 59.8% 66.6% 64.1% 65.0% When results are considered by region of birth, 34% of those born in Asia agreed that people can be trusted, 27% born in the Middle East. The different pattern of response for the national and local surveys held consistent for most faith groups. Thus 50% of Roman Catholic respondents agreed that people can be trusted at the national level, 35% at the local; for those identifying as Christian, 53% and 32%; for those identifying as Muslim or Buddhist, 70% and 30% or less. Figure 8: most people can be trusted', national and local surveys 60% 50% 40% 30% 50% 43% 35% 36% 53% 32% 57% National Local 45% 20% 10% 0% Roman Catholic Church of England Christian No religion Table 14: Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted, or you can t be too careful in dealing with people? By stated religious identification, (i) National survey Response Roman Catholic Church of England Uniting / Presby. Christian Islam/ Buddhist No religion Can be trusted 50.1% 42.7% 47.8% 52.7% 69.7% 56.8% Can t be too careful 46.2% 55.3% 47.8% 45.3% 28.9% 40.6% N (unweighted) 474 435 133 283 52 423 (ii) Local survey Response Roman Catholic Church of England Greek Orthodox Christian Islam Buddhist No religion Can be trusted 35.2% 35.9% 21.6% 31.8% 23.9% 30.1% 44.8% Can t be too careful 62.9% 62.5% 69.0% 65.4% 73.0% 62.1% 52.2% N (unweighted) 528 181 106 260 224 266 210 Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report 17
Sense of safety There was a lower sense of safety amongst respondents to the local survey. At the national level, the consistent finding was that across the four groups, 26%-28% of respondents indicated that they felt unsafe walking alone at night; at the local level, 52% of thirdgeneration stralians, 49% second-generation, 50% of all stralian-born, and 43% indicated that they felt unsafe. Table 15: How safe do you feel walking alone at night in your local area? Would you say you feel... Response: a bit unsafe and very unsafe National 28.3% 26.3% 28.3% 27.7% Local 52.3% 46.0% 50.0% 43.1% In response to a question on fear of becoming a victim of crime, the marked differentiation at the national and local levels was maintained. Of all stralian-born, 24% indicated that they were worried at the national level, almost double, at 46%, in the local survey; for third-generation stralians, the finding was 23% national level, 45% local. The highest level of concern was indicated by respondents, a relatively high 37% national, a higher 54% local. While there is thus some difference between the groups, there is a consistent direction of response, with greater concern indicated for all groups in the local survey. Table 16: Thinking about all types of crime in general, how worried are you about becoming a victim of crime in your local area? Response: very worried and fairly worried National 22.6% 29.6% 24.2% 36.7% Local 44.7% 46.6% 46.2% 54.1% Sense of safety is of major importance for social cohesion. In an environment in which sense of safety is eroded, social cohesion is made difficult to attain. VicHealth explains that neighbourhoods which are perceived as safe, foster community participation, encourage physical activity, community connectedness and add to the health and well-being of local residents and visitors. 11 The reverse applies to neighbourhoods perceived unsafe, and the Scanlon Foundation survey findings on sense of safety are consistent with the findings on lowered levels of trust. Experience of discrimination The local surveys found markedly higher reported experience of discrimination. In the 2012 national survey, 12% of respondents indicated experience of discrimination over the last year on the basis of their skin colour, ethnic origin or religion. There was considerable variation among groups at the national level, with the highest levels amongst Muslim stralians and those born in the Middle East and Asia. Reported experience of discrimination is consistently higher in the local areas, with an average 22%, almost double the national average. The reported level was 18% for third-generation stralians, 23% for all stralian-born and respondents, and 25% for second-generation stralians. Analysis by country of birth indicates 35% reported discrimination by those born in India, 25% Vietnam, 22% Lebanon, and lower levels by those born in Italy (11%) and the United Kingdom (9%). When responses were considered by religious identification, discrimination was indicated by 34% Muslim, 22% Buddhist, 20% Roman Catholic, 16% Anglican and 13% Greek Orthodox. Within the four LGAs, the highest level at 26% was reported in Bankstown, 23% in Hume, and 19% each in Fairfield and Dandenong. Table 17: Have you experienced discrimination because of your skin colour, ethnic origin or religion over the last 12 months? Response: yes (i) by ancestry/ birthplace. National 9.8% 17.5% 12.0% 10.6% Local 17.8% 25.1% 23.0% 22.5% (ii) By LGA Fairfield Bankstown Hume Dandenong LGA 18.8% 26.1% 23.1% 18.5% 11 Community Indicators Victoria, Perceptions of Safety, http://www.communityindicators.net.au/metadata_items/perceptions_of_safety 18 Mapping Social Cohesion 2012: Neighbourhoods Report